Chickpea Salad (makes 5-6 servings)

This is a vegetarian version of the chicken salad from Newk’s – one of my all-time favorite sandwiches. This was the conversation I had with my husband Adam the day after I made this the first time:

C: Do you like that chickpea salad?  

A: I don’t think I’ve ever had it. 

C: …  yesterday? 

A: Oh, I thought that was chicken salad. 

C: I haven’t bought chicken in over 2 years! 

A: Oh, you’re right that doesn’t make any sense. But yea, it was really good.

Despite the name, chicken was never really the star of the chicken salad show in the first place. With all the extras, this recipe makes for a seriously delicious sandwich.

Real food?                       

The only cheat is a little bit of mayo. I bet they make natural versions, but as a Southerner, I’m scared to use anything except Duke’s or Bama.

Cook time:                      

20 – 25 min. But it’s a pretty good deal, because you’ll be set up with lunch for the rest of the week.

Price:                                  

$1.10/serving

Ingredients

• 1 can of chickpeas 
• Grapes (about ¼ pound, halved)
• 1 small Granny Smith apple 
• Pecans (about 2 oz., chopped) 
• Mayo (a big spoonful)
• Greek yogurt (a big spoonful) 
• Ranch seasoning
• Dijon mustard (I like the whole grain kind)
• Lemon  juice

Plant-based option: Replace regular mayo and Greek yogurt with vegan mayo. I like the Just Mayo brand.

A few notes about ingredients…

• I recently found out that my grocery store carries nuts in the bulk bins that are WAY cheaper than the pre-packaged ones, especially if you only want to buy a small amount.
• In a bout of ambition a few months ago, I made a batch of homemade ranch seasoning. To be honest, it doesn’t really taste like the stuff in the little Hidden Valley packets, but it is a good multi-purpose seasoning without any weird ingredients and it’s cheaper in the long run.
• Don’t even think about buying low-fat mayo. You're being good and using Greek yogurt, so just go for the real mayo and whatever about it.

Directions

1.  Prepare the ingredients.

Mash the chickpeas. I use a food processor to speed things up, but I leave them kind of chunky. Chop the pecans (I use the food processor again) and halve the grapes.

Use about ¼ of the apple cut into small pieces. I like to throw the pieces in a little bowl with some diluted lemon juice for a minute to keep them from turning brown.

2.  Mix everything together.

Mix everything together in a large bowl and play around with it until you get the seasonings and the consistency like you want.

3.  Serve!

My favorite way is in a sandwich with provolone cheese and spinach, preferably on my porch with a glass of tea. But eat it however you usually eat chicken salad!

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